Bradley opens with 76-53 win over EIU

Bradley opened its men’s basketball regular season Friday night like it hasn’t in 15 years, thumping Eastern Illinois 76-53 before an announced crowd of 6,634 at Carver Arena.

It was the largest margin of victory for the Braves in an opener since an 81-54 rout of Montana in 1997, and the program’s 20th consecutive win in a home opener.

The keys for BU were defense (EIU shot 35 percent from the field), rebounding (35-25 edge) and a diverse offense, featuring newcomer Tyshon Pickett, who debuted with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Dave Reynolds

Bradley opened its men’s basketball regular season Friday night like it hasn’t in 15 years, thumping Eastern Illinois 76-53 before an announced crowd of 6,634 at Carver Arena.

It was the largest margin of victory for the Braves in an opener since an 81-54 rout of Montana in 1997, and the program’s 20th consecutive win in a home opener.

The keys for BU were defense (EIU shot 35 percent from the field), rebounding (35-25 edge) and a diverse offense, featuring newcomer Tyshon Pickett, who debuted with 23 points and eight rebounds.

“Overall statistically, there are a lot of positives on this (stat) sheet,” BU coach Geno Ford said. “For a first game, we did a lot of good things. We shared the ball and made some plays for other guys, which will be key for our team.”

Eastern (0-1) opened the game with a 15-9 lead, hitting a trio of 3-pointers by the 13:24 mark and prompting a Bradley timeout.

“We weren’t playing great defense,” BU guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards said. “We really focused on it and really opened the game up for a 12-minute stretch.”

By halftime, the Braves led 38-22. They extended that margin to 27 points in the final minutes.

“We’re not quite ready to come up here and win this game,” EIU coach Jay Spoonhour said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys who haven’t played together much. And Bradley has been through some hard stuff. When a team goes through what they went through last year (7-25 record), you give them credit.

“We were up (in the first half) and then they set their jaw, started to get the ball inside, were stronger and got on the offensive glass. That’s what a team does when it doesn’t want to get beat anymore.”

Pickett was Exhibit A in most of those facets. All but one of his nine baskets came off low-post feeds.

“Pickett does things the way he should do,” Spoonhour said. “He’s strong, has those broad shoulders and makes solid plays. And he didn’t play out of control.”

Said Pickett, the 6-foot-6 transfer from Dodge City Community College: “It’s a great start for me. I need to be a little more protective on the foul end. But other than that, I think I had a great game.”

So did Jake Eastman, the senior swingman who had seven assists, five rebounds, two steals, just one turnover and the hustle play of the night.

“Jake is a big, big key for us because he’s a glue guy,” Ford said. “He played 34 minutes and only took three shots but impacted the game at a high level.”

With BU leading by 22 midway through the second half, Eastman dove for a loose ball, corralled it near midcourt and flipped it to teammate Jordan Prosser just before sliding over the halfcourt line. The ball went to Pickett, who then completed a three-point play.

“That play hopefully signifies what our team will be about,” Ford said. “That’s what good teams are about, extra-effort plays.”

Bradley shot 58 percent from the field each half and posted a 16-11 assist-to-turnover ratio. Will Egolf and Dyricus Simms-Edwards added 11 points apiece, while Walt Lemon and Jordan Prosser each had nine points.

Morris Woods totaled 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench to lead the Panthers. Alex Austin added 13 points.

The Braves have a quick turnaround for their second game, hosting Texas-Pan American at 7 p.m. Monday night in the team’s lone regular-season contest at Renaissance Coliseum.

Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or dreynolds@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @davereynolds2.

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